Burt issues rally cry ahead of Portugal clash

Liam Burt has called on his Scotland team mates to take their chances against Portugal this afternoon when the sides meet in Group A at the European Under-17 Championship Finals in Baku.

The Scots went down 2-0 to Belgium on Thursday evening and face their Portuguese counterparts at 12.30pm (UK time, live on Eurosport) in their second match at the finals tournament.

They were made to pay the price for passing up a number of excellent chances.

Today’s opponents Portugal stormed to the top of Group A with a 5-0 demolition of Azerbaijan in their first match and Burt is expecting a difficult encounter.

He said: “I thought we played well against Belgium but it was the vital moments that decided where the points went – they took their chances and we didn’t.

“That’s the difference between winning and losing in these type of games but hopefully we can take our chances and pick up a good result against Portugal.

“They will be a good footballing side and we will need to be at the top of our game to keep the ball and win the match.

“We need to stick together and show that we can play but everyone in the team believes in themselves.”

Burt was part of the squad that played at last year’s finals in Bulgaria and was made skipper by coach Scot Gemmill in 2015 for this season’s competition, helping guide Scotland to their third successive finals appearance.

The Rangers midfielder is hungry for success and is relishing his role as captain as a prestigious competition.

He said: “It was brilliant being involved last year and thankfully I am here again, representing my country and being captain.

“It’s a challenging role but it bring the challenges that I like to face.

“This is the place to test yourself against the best players in your age group.

“You need to show that you can adapt to playing against different styles of play and cope with tournament football.

“The games come thick and fast – there are only two rest days in between matches so you need to prepare well, eat right and rest.

“We have a good coach in Scot and he puts his trust in the players.

“Hopefully we can repay that faith and pick up a win against Portugal.”

Scotland's match with Portugal kicks off at 12.30pm (UK time) and is live on Eurosport.